Do I Belong Here?
by Chou ni Natte
Summary: AU. He wasn’t meant to be here. He could feel it. Feel it in the way they looked at him. Did you know, when they look at him, their eyes could be... frighteningly cold?
1. It feels just like i'm sinking

Title: I Don't Belong Here

Summary: He wasn't meant to be here. He could feel it. Feel it in the way they looked at him…did you know, when they look at him, their eyes could be…frighteningly cold?

Pairing(s): Hi-Mi-Tsu

Rating: G _Kind of brood-full o.O _(I seriously doubt that was a word…)

Other: It's kind of a one-shot. I can't decide. I had an idea to for a short sequel…

Disclaimer: I hereby state that I, Keitorin, do not claim to own the Naruto Manga or Anime. The show and all it's wonderful characters are Copyright to Kishimoto Masashi sensei, and umm…whoever else? The only thing I own for sure is the plot. I'm just using my evil and twisted ways to scare people off. Honest.

Okei~! If you're reading this, which is unlikely, then hihi! *glomp* I had this idea poking at me yesterday, but it wasn't a thought yet. I just wanted to get a feel for how Naruto lived when he was younger. Then a small plot formed, and this is what I came up with. I'm not sure how many chapters there will be, as I've only written this prologue and a paragraph on the first chapter. I'm thinking of having a sequel for when Naruto is older, but don't take my word because I have to see that this gets written first. I have a tendency to never recover from writer's block .;;

But we'll see…

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"Hyaaa mmm." He yawned as he snuggled deeper into the small bed. But it's very hard to get comfortable in such a small and bare bed. He cracked his open a bit and peeked out from under the thin blanket. 

One of his caretakers was already there at the small kitchen area, making him his breakfast. He scowled in a fox-like manner as he saw it was the usual 'baby food'.

The woman had just noticed Naruto was awake and actually looked sort of scared. She stared at him, with a weird expression on her face. Naruto stared right back. Why didn't they just keep the same people each time? It was extremely annoying to have someone come in and stare at him like that. Especially sense he didn't know why. He secretly wondered if it was because he was ugly. 

"Ugly?" He whispered innocently as he blinked up at her. Apparently she had heard, as her eyebrow twitched. Naruto didn't understand what was wrong…was she sick?

She seemed to be a bit angry.

"What did you say?" She asked quietly. Naruto didn't answer. He just sat there and stared up at her blankly. Her hand started twitching but she appeared to be trying to calm down, and she went back to work. Naruto mentally shrugged and before absently staring around the room. As usual, the impersonal white walls met his eyes, as did the nearly furnishless surrounding area. It looked more like one of those rooms people used as places to take brakes. Not that he knew what they looked like…

Naruto slipped off the bed and silently began to fix it up a bit. It was small and cramped, but it wasn't the ground. He yawned and stretched a bit before the baka onna put plate of food on the small desk near were Naruto was. Nothing more was said as she cleaned up the kitchen area and left, while Naruto skipped up to the desk and slipped into the chair. White Rice again. He sighed and picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. 

A while later Naruto put down his bowl and chopsticks and just sat there. He sat there, for how long he didn't know. He lowered his head to stare at the floor sadly. Where was he? He was usually here by now, and he would've told him if he weren't coming…wouldn't he? 

He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Naruto looked up expectantly. But when the person came through…he was sadly disappointed. The same woman as earlier was standing there with a hand on her hip, looking at him with…that expression. The expression that said he'd done something bad, or his very existence made her disgusted. She turned around and began to clean the table with his utensils off. She washed them in the small sink quickly before drying them off and putting them away. Naruto just sat and watched quietly.

As she turned to look at him, it appeared she was trying to decide something. It was then that Naruto saw a flash of conflicting emotion flit across her face. Sadness. Bitterness. Grief. Guilt. Resolve.

"Someone will be by to check up on you later." Was all she said before turning on him and walking back out the door. That wasn't what she was going to say. He knew it. He knew he was pretty young and shouldn't really understand any of those feelings…but he did. And it hurt. It hurt him to the core to see those emotions laid out on someone's face only meant for his eyes to see. Those eyes told him it was his fault. In that instant he had see…he had felt such hatred as he'd never felt before. And it hurt. 

~Owari Joshou~


	2. and I claw for solid ground

Disclaimer: I still hereby state that I, Keitorin, do not claim to own the Naruto Manga or Anime. The show and all it's wonderful characters are Copyright to Kishimoto Masashi sensei, and umm…whoever else? The only thing I own for sure is the plot. I'm just using my evil and twisted ways to scare people off. Honest

I just realized that this can't be a one shot. Not when I've decided to make my chapters somewhat short, and it's hard to write these parts, so that means more but short chapters -.-

If it weren't for two hours, it'd be only a day since I posted the prologue…I wrote it really quick o.o;

If there are any mistakes, please feel free to correct me.

Chapter One

One hour later Naruto still hadn't moved from the spot at the table. He had been certain that he would come…the Hokage. But he realized how childesh he had been thinking that. Why would the highest Ninja in the village want to play with him? This boy…who had no parents, and had to be taken care of by people who obviously seethed over his very existence. He couldn't helpthinking this way…especially after that look the woman had given him. He buried his face in his hands and breathed shallowly. Now that he thought about, he really hadn't been thinking…the Hokage had only visited him a few times. Even then he had just hung out in the office while he worked. Maybe he had just wanted company…he didn't really care for Naruto…right? He was getting a headache from all this thinking. And as he peeked up from his arms, he could have sworn that the walls were getting closer together, and the air thinning. 

He needed out. While he was used to being alone most of the time, and didn't like to be around people because it made him feel like he did something very wrong, just this once, he wanted to be free. 

If he'd never been serious, he was now. He straightened up and looked around the room with slightly squinted eyes. 

The room couldn't be more ugly in his eyes. Lonely…

He knew he had to get out of here, if just for a while. The lady had said someone would check up on her later…so he had time. Now all he had to do is figure out what he was going to do. If he could just get out of this room…

He let his eyes wander around the room for a moment before they came to land on the door. He walked quietly over to it and turned the nob. His eyes knit together when he discovered that it was looked. Baka onna…they thought he was so young that he'd wonder off? Heh…they were right -.- 

His eyebrow twitched slightly before he scratched his head in thought. Well, wasn't there a window in the bathroom? He tiptoed slightly as he walked, for what reason, no one knows…

He stopped in his tracks as he heard a noise right outside the door. He heard a thump and a curse being said before whoever it was moved on down the hall. Naruto listened for a moment longer before turning back toward the bathroom again. If someone where to discover him gone so soon, his fun would be ruined. 

As he thought, there was a window. A small one, but he was sure he was small enough to slip through. But first, he needed to get it open. There didn't appear to be any possible way to open it. No lactches, locks, anything. After a few minutes of looking, Naruto sighed and leaned against the sill in frustration. To his surprise, the window pushed right open. He sweatdropped before peeking out the window. 

He didn't appear to be that high up, all he had to do was slide down the wall and to the base of the building. At the bottom he would have to be careful, because there was a stand selling food just below.

He took one last glance behind him, cast one last sad look, before hopping onto the sell and over the side. He made sure his hands had a good grip on the edge before slipping slowly down the wall. He gasped as the stand owner began to look up, seeing as how Naruto had accidentally kicked a piece of dust off of the building as he slid. He closed his eyes and did something he would later regret. He let go and let himself fall to the bottom and land painfully on his back. That would leave a mark…

"You said it came from over here?" A voice very near to Naruto asked someone out of his viewing range.

"Yes, I could swear that I saw something…orange fall from the building…"

Naruto stiffened in fear. He so did not want to be caught lurking around the building, especially when he knew he'd get in trouble if Hokage found out. So he silently, but hurriedly, climbed through the bush nearest and made his way around the corner. It appeared he was just in time, as the people rustled over to the place he had just been.

Naruto sighed in relief, before paying closer attention to his current surroundings. He saw a trash dump nearby, and a few boards lying around, but not much else. Boring. He sat up and winced as he felt the burns on his back and hands. He really shouldn't have grasped onto the wall like that…

He looked around once more before nodding decisively. He'd just wander around until he found something interesting…

Review Response(s)~!

All must bow down to Ayako! Thanks you very much for being my first reviewer. It's funny, because before I checked to see if I had any reviews, I was out there reading one of your fanfics! Coincidence? I think not.

Remember when the woman made him White Rice? I had no idea what food it should be. I thought about Ramen, but for some reason I didn't do it…but he'll get some Ramen! When the special part comes up!

And you know, I had never thought about that before I started this fic. After the Kyuubi was sealed into Naruto's navel, did the Hokage take care of Naruto sometimes? Hmm..makes one wonder.

And the reason that all must bow to Ayako because she gave me a wonderful idea~!!!! It's going to happen at the end where the second special part is ^o^


	3. I'm pulled down by the undertow

Disclaimer: I still, still hereby state that I, Keitorin, do not claim to own the Naruto Manga or Anime. The show and all it's wonderful characters are Copyright to Kishimoto Masashi sensei, and umm…whoever else? The only thing I own for sure is the plot. I'm just using my evil and twisted ways to scare people off. Honest

It's pretty bad. Wednesday I write up, and post, the prologue, then I start working on the first chapter. I work on it…and I finish it pretty quickly. I was going to wait until I got a few more reviews before putting it up, but I did at 2a.m…it's now 3a.m and I'm almost done with the second chapter -.-

As you can see…it seems I'll have a few chapters just on Naruto's adventures through the village o.o;;

I think next chapter…or the chapter after that will have some good stuff in it.

Chapter Two: 

Naruto practically skipped as he walked through the alley, so happy to be free from the restraint of the room. Even though the air here in the alley was damp, he could tell by the content smiles on the stand owner's customer's faces. [A/N Mouthful @_@] 

The reason he was in the alley was because he figured if he was out in the open, someone would recognize him and take him back.

But there was also that feeling of dread. He was so afraid…that he would see the expression…didn't they know, that when they look at him…their expression was frighteningly cold. Besides, he was never talkative unless he got along with someone well enough. Perhaps that's why he argues with the Hokage. He liked him, but there was something…that made him want to argue o.O

Like Hokage deserved it for some reason…heh, he was obviously losing his marbles. The Hokage was funny, even when trying to be serious. And he seemed to like Naruto…

Again, Naruto was reminded that the Hokage had never shown up that morning. He shouldn't be so upset, because he didn't visit often, but he couldn't help it. He had been so excited at the thought of being away from the room, if only for a while.

He was pulled from his musings by the sound of many voices, warning him that he had reached the corner, and end, of the alley, meaning the market was just up ahead. 

He just stood there for a moment, listening to the very content voices of children his own age laughing and running around happily, while their parent's tried to get them to calm down, only to be used as 'safe' in a game of tag. The stand owners appeared to be happy with their income, and customers satisfied with the products. And the Sushi bar…smelled so good to Naruto. Though, honestly, he'd never had it before. He took a deep breath before slipping around the corner and melting into the crowd. He really hoped no one would notice him. If he was as ugly as the baka onna that had made his rice that morning face implied, then he would get caught, especially with such bright colors on. He hadn't thought about that…*sweatdrop*

He darted through the crowd quickly, and dived behind a big wooden crate and held his breath for a full minute, and when nothing happened, let it out in a big breath. So he hadn't been caught…yokatta. He cuddled into the corner of the crate, content just listening to everyone live their obviously wonderful lives…

He looked down at something poking at his hand to see some kind of rope with a hook on the end.

__

I should be feeling sad…he thought suddenly as he entwined the rope with the sting on his jumpsuit. Was it true? He didn't feel sad at all. Rather, he felt so happy just because everyone else was content with their lives. So weird…

He looked up quickly as the crate began to move. This couldn't be good. He practically rolled out of the crate and flitted behind a guy standing near. Apparently, the crate had been need to store someone's stuff and had gone to get it. Despite the near danger, Naruto smiled a foxy grin. Mischievous you could even say.

He realized rather awkwardly that he was still standing behind the man and quickly ducked around the corner. This was fun. It reminded him of a ninja…sneaking along..

Yes, for today, he would play the part of ninja.

Five minutes later found Naruto climbing up a latter on the side of a building. It was a medium sized building, not too short, and not too tall. He paused a moment to see how far he had went up and discovered he was already half way up.

As he pulled his leg over the last step, he breathed a sigh of relief. That wasn't so bad now was it? Nya…

A ninja sure would have no trouble reaching the rooftop. 

[A/N: I'm not sure whether to stop here or not. It kind of seems like a good place…but it's too short ;_;]

The show must go on…

He sat hunched down by the latter and cat crawled across the roof. There wasn't anything up there except for the vent thingy that twirls around; Naruto couldn't remeber what they were called. As he neared the edge, the voice rose up from all the villagers in that area. And then he smelled it. Food….Naruto almost started drooling but stopped himself just in time. He quickly peered over the edge of the roof and down. Oh heavens, he was right above a food stand selling the most luscious looking food…he didn't bother to make sure he didn't drool over the building and onto unsuspecting customers. 

He made up his mind. He just had to have some of that food. And there was this bowl of some type of noodle that caught his eye….

But the question was, how? He'd climbed the building in the first place to se better and spy on people. Perhaps even learn were the Hokage was…he was completely out of reach. He contemplated for a few moments before something poking him in the stomach got his attention. He looked down to see the fishhook still hooked with the cord on his jumpsuit. He shrugged looked away. Something was nagging at him though…

Then it hit him (not literally =p) maybe he could use the cord for something…he could try. 

So he quickly untied the rope with the hook on it and began to plot.

__

~Done with this chapter~!

I'm a bit proud of myself. It was a few words longer than the other chapters. Though I like them better short o.o; 

*Contemplates*

Four chapters more. _Maybe._

I can't guess that much right now.

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Review Responses:

Again, all must give an extra bow to Ayako.

xxSilverWingsxx – Hihi~! And yes, ideas can poke you, and they can be very painful! So beware! It is sad, yep yep, but it'll get better. I think the ending will be mellow. Not too sure right now.

airfire0 – Thanks much! I hope this chapter was okay, I wrote most of it last night and after my A/N not somewhere near the end is what I just finished. Sorry if it seems a bit weird o_O

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More Responses, for chapter two:

Ayako – Bow! All hail Ayako…hm, anyway…xD

Aww, you found out my secret! It's Ramen/Naruto! My, what a scary thought…

And he'll discover Ramen toward the end ^-^

I have a lot of trouble writing long chapters, my brain seems to float elsewhere and I just sit there with my fingers on the keyboard ;;

I hope I can write a chapter a day until it's over. So wish me much luck…I haven't written fanfiction in almost a year o.o;

*Is spared for the moment from the frying pan of doom*

Yay! I get a muse…I'd totally forgotten about my muses…

Mizu no Keitorin: Nan de yo? How could you?? Baka onna!

Tsukimono: *Cheshire grin*

Anime Lass – *Grin* I'm glad you like it! Was this chapter okay? *worried* and he doesn't get caught just yet.

What a creative name. I guess I should've mentioned this earlier…this fanfic takes place when Naruto was young. There will not be any official pairings, but whatever your favorite pairing(s) are, you can take any hints I give out as slight Shounen ai, or even het. In the sequel I'll be the same way. I think the sequel will end up as one chapter…maybe two. Not too sure. 

:D – *nodnod* I didn't mean for it to sound like he was being imprisoned *sweatdrop*

Thanks for reviewing =p


	4. Never thought I could feel so low

Disclaimer: I still, still hereby state that I, Keitorin, do not claim to own the Naruto Manga or Anime. The show and all it's wonderful characters are Copyright to Kishimoto Masashi sensei, and umm…whoever else? The only thing I own for sure is the plot. I'm just using my evil and twisted ways to scare people off. Honest.

I.feel.morbid.

I haven't written more than a paragraph on this in two days. I haven't been in the house hardly any of that time. I was running around the whole town, and beyond. The first day, I got the Game Boy Advance SP system. After that, Wal Mart, we went across to Sam Goodies. Mum gave Rachel and I twenty dollars each to spend. I wanted to spend much, much more. They had so many Manga. Ayashi no Ceres, Mars, Inuyasha, Evangelion, Fushigi Yuugi, and more that I can't remember because my head hurts like hell. I really wanted to get something, but I decided to wait and get a Japanese manga or Doujinshi online instead.

Today, us four went on our first family outing together in years, because we got money in the mail for paying taxis or some such. I bought some really strong smelling incense, a pot to burn potpourri in, and a small dagger to add to my collection. 

The point is, ever sense I came home yesterday, my feet have hurt, I've had migraines, I've put up with bad attitudes and bickering, and had to constantly be somewhere. I had to get up so early yesterday morning for Rachel to go to school, and she ended up not going because she was feeling too bad about something her friend came over and confessed to her. So…I have the worst headache in the world, I have a sister who has no consideration for others, even though she's supposed to be more mature as she's older than me, and…well, I felt guilty so I tried my best to update without making it totally unreadable and filled with pain and suffering. Surprisingly, Naruto ending up a little overly genki. And I am soooo sorry if it seems mushy toward the end…I wasn't paying attention.

And I can't believe I just wrote all that…;;

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Naruto made sure he was close enough to the edge that he could see, but far enough so that he wouldn't be seen, or he wouldn't fall off. That would hurt. And he'd get caught.

He lay there for a moment, staring down at the food-laden table, taking in the smells, watching others enjoy their meals. 

__

Well, here goes nothing. He thought before taking the hook and lowering it slowly down the side of the building. He peered over and saw he was halfway down…he was running out of rope…

He frowned when the rope reached its end; just right above the he was seeking. He twisted his face up into a thoughtful frown before he smiled and you could practically see the light bulb shining above his head. He bent as low as he could to the building and lay his head sideways, before stretching his arms as far as they would go and the hook went lower…he figured he was just there…then he felt it hook onto something and he quickly yanked on the rope and pulled himself up, hoping for the best. He could vaguely hear some angry voices from below as he pulled the string up to see his prize. It was a surprise all right…he jerked his head around and peered over the edge. His eyes widened in realization and took in the site of a now bold man trying to cover up his head. Our dear boy Naruto had pulled the toupee right off of the stand owner's head.

At first Naruto was embarrassed for the man, but pretty soon he was laughing so hard he was afraid his ribs would break from the strain. 

He stopped; however, when he heard the shouts and the sound of running feet towards the rooftop…he'd been to loud with his laughing. He stared, wide eyed, at the latter for a moment, before practically jumping over to it and sliding down. Now at the bottom, he could see a few people pushing through the crowd to get at him. He couldn't help it, when they caught a glimpse of him; he stuck out his tongue and made a face. "Nya nya!" He muttered humbly before turning tail and running away like a hooligan. 

He didn't stop until he was on the other side of the village, only then did he come to collapse beside a house nearby. He took deep breaths until he was sure he wouldn't fall over if he stood up, and propped his elbow up on the house.

"…ano…" A small voice spoke from the window above him in the house. Naruto looked up at her with startled eyes and saw a dark looking girl around his age with the weirdest eyes he'd ever seen. They stared at each other for a moment before the girl's cheeks turned red and she moved back from the window.

Naruto blinked confusedly for a moment before he sat Indian style and scratched his head slightly.

"Mou…" He couldn't believe what had happened back at the building…he'd almost been caught! But he'd also been seen…and he realized it had already been a while since he'd left. He had no clue how much longer he had, and whether or not the lady or had came to check up on him or not. He really didn't like to think about, he was sure ninjas didn't worry about such trivial things. He was startled again when he saw someone move into his line of vision. He looked up to see the girl from a few minutes ago standing maybe a foot or two away from him, holding out a cup of water with her head held down.

"I…I thought you might be thirsty." She mumbled. It took Naruto a moment to react before he hesitantly reached out and took the cup from her hands. As he did, she clasped both hands tightly behind her back as if fearing rejection.

__

What a shy girl… Naruto thought as he took a cautious sip from the cup. After taking a sip, he proceeded to drink the rest of the water in one big gulp. The shy girl still stood across from him, looking a bit unsure about what to do with herself.

"E…to. Thanks onnanoko." He handed the cup back to her and she held onto it like a lifeline.

"Ah…it was nothing…" She mumbled, still red at the cheeks. They both stood there awkwardly before Naruto stood up all the way and held out his hand.

"Well, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, the ninja!" He said proudly, shaking her hand vigorously. She blinked and didn't seem to notice the rough handshake.

"Ninja?" She spoke curiously…sort of in awe.

"Ehehe…not really. I just wanted to pretend just for today." Naruto rubbed the back of his head and squinted his eyes.

"Oh…that's really cool. My name is Hyuga Hinata. Nice to meet you…Naruto-kun. There seemed to be a permanent blush on Hinata's face and Naruto wondered if she was feeling okay.

"Do you want to take a walk?" Naruto asked thoughtfully. Something seemed to be wrong and he figured she might feel better afterwards. And this was the first kid his age he had talked to. 

"S-sure…Naruto-kun" She stuttered nervously, and definitely surprised. She…had never been asked…to play before. Although it was just a walk, it was very important to her. And this boy didn't seem o be joking with her. She decided to go with him. If she wasn't too nervous…

Naruto waited with his hands behind his head, watching her from the corner of his eye. He watched as she nodded and stuttered yes. He smiled happily and grabbed her hand in his, surprising her into another blushing fit. He practically skipped along with her looking after him with an unreadable expression on her face.

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Review Responses

Ayako – Lol! Very romantic indeed. *nodnod* So when should I make the anniversary..hmm…

Maybe I should think about a thesaurus…*starts using long words* actually…today, I got my textbooks for school, and there are three books for writing…lemme see, 'Writing Strands, book 5 and 6', which says they contain challenging writing projects. And the other is 'Great Explorations In Editing series' o.o;

Anyway…thanks for reviewing again, I fear this fic is turning stupid…even though I have a few more ideas to add yet. Maybe it'll be okay ^-^

Ayako (again) – It cut you off? =_= 

Lol…I know how that is. Once I tried to update some long lost fanfic, I got nowhere and ended up staring at the computer for a few hours and giving myself a headache -_-

Hinata, stalking? Nahh…oh, and was the part with Naruto and Hinata too …cute? I wanted this fic to be pairing-less (), but I also wanted to leave it so that there was room for the reader to imagine…and I hope its not too awkward.

Anime Lass – Thankies ^-^ I'm worried someone will notice Naruto too o.o;

Don't worry about that person who is supposed to be checking on him. I'll do something about that, I have to, cuz if I do like I say, she'll have already checked the room and warned the whole town by the time I'm finished.

: D – Lol, well, I tend to assume things too…most of the time it's good things though =p

Thanks for reviewing ^o^ I think I wrote more on the reviews and comment at the top then I did story…

airfire0 – Definitely a scary thought…yeah, I didn't want it to be one or the other, but something kind of in-between. I agree, they are still too young. If all goes well with this fic, I will write a sequel and I think it will be sort of like this, but with a wider variety of people…*shakes head* I hope I'm asking some sense, my head still hurts…

debs – Lol, I'm glad you're enjoying it. And who can resist Naruto?!? I'm afraid no one can…

That's all, I'm so sorry if I forgot anyone, I had to view the reviews in my mailbox offline, as my dad unhooked me from the router as he my computer was slowing down his, and he couldn't race online. ;


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